3 Little Ways I'm Adding Big Color to My Makeup Routine

My makeup has gotten a little stale lately. I love my go-to look of dewy skin, a lot of mascara, and a bold lip, but after about a year of wearing the same type of thing over and over, I decided it was just about time for a little makeup shake-up.

I used to change the kind of makeup I would wear on a day-to-day basis, so I’m actually pretty surprised with myself that I’ve gotten into such a rut. But I also feel like, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I wanted to update my look while keeping the same aesthetic, so instead of going for the same-old-same-old neutral colors that I always do, I made some changes to the lineup and added in some bold color.

The easiest makeup change was metallic liner.

Now and again, I’ll go for a cat eye flick, but always in black. When I finally got a peek at the H&M makeup range I picked out the Aqua Liquid Eyeliner in Afterglow. The coppery brown is gorgeous and it is a really subtle change from black so it’s an easy upgrade for colorful makeup phobes. I also like to think that the warmer color brings out the green in my eyes.

I was so disappointed when I first tried this product because it was a really thin, watery, dark brown color. But as it turns out, you’re supposed to shake it up to get all that metallic goodness incorporated into the liquid before you apply it, and then it’s like wham-bam-pigment.

This liner stays all day with no problem of fading, or transferring on to the tops of my lids, so the formula is a real keeper in my book.

Normally, I go for a white or golden inner-corner highlight, MAC Vanilla being my favorite. But hey, I’m trying to do things a little differently here, so I thought, let’s try something pastel!

I got this Essence eyeshadow palette in a hurry because I needed some of the colors for my Halloween costume. To be honest, the pigmentation isn’t great on its own, but if you layer it over a creamy white base like the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, it will do just fine.

I chose the mint color to show here because I think looks really pretty and fresh, but is a bit spring-y for the current season. The lilac is a bit more seasonally appropriate (and much more subtle) so I’ve been wearing it to work for the last week or so with no office offenses.

Obviously, I like a bold lip. I talk about them pretty much every chance I get. In the comments of my latest lip roundup for Thanksgiving, so many of you said that the best long wearing lipstick for you came from Colour Pop, so I gave it a go during their Black Friday sale.

Amongst a few other choices, Dr. M was by far the boldest in its glorious forest green. Not gonna lie: this color makes my teeth look really yellow, but it’s totally worth it.

I wore this color last Saturday for a day of shopping and walking around New Orleans. I fully expected to get stares/comments/opinions from the general populace, but not a one. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad indication, but I’m keeping this lipstick in my top drawer and I’ll be wearing it more!